Sunday 24 June 2012

Advice on staircases

I'm a little behind so this is Thursdays post

It was raining hard first thing so we delayed our start, porridge helped stoke the fire in the belly and we departed at 9.45am. Then it stopped raining and we only really got wet cycling to Morrisons at the end of the day.

Rachel did the Bratch locks with the help of the lockie.... he was covering 8 months but said he expected hos job to be doe by CART volunteers next year. 

 This is technically the pound between locks as these locks are not a staircase. They really are a marvel in construction, shame I was on the boat.

The next set of locks is Botterham Staircase locks, just two in this staircase. We has a little wait as there was a boat coming up. We went in but then were advised by the boat that has just come up behind us that we needed to empty the bottom lock before discharging the top lock. I can understand this but why not just let it empty into the bottom lock and run off via the bywash.... this would save time and having to work the bottom gate paddles?

 I would have let the water go via the bywash.... would you?

 We cruised on to Hinksford where the internet had told us there was a Morrisons 2 miles away, which we got the bikes out for and got a little wet in the rush hour to collect provisions. Finished the night catching lots of fish just by the caravan park after bridge 38.






3 comments:

Andy Tidy said...

Nev - you saw the size of that bywash at Botterham - It can easily take the flow of water as you empty the top chamber. In fact I did exactly that last time I went down in May.
Not that this approach works everywhere - I tried in Chester with disasterous results as the walkers on the towpath will attest to...

Adam said...

You'd have been fine at this staircase (and I think the ones at Stourport are the same, although I'm struggling to remember). But at others, like Bascote on the GU for example, you'd have a flood on your hands!

Nev Wells said...

Thanks gents, I'm pleased my assessment was correct. No real issue just wanted to know I called it right. I would always treat each one independently, I think the Stourport locks do not have a overflow by-wash so would need emptying.

Nev